I'm thinking Obama actually believed his lies and distortions about Romney.
Exactly. Wish I wasn't out of rep today. But that's the only explanation I can think of for all these people, Obama in particular, to be so shocked. They've spent all this time inventing this really negative caricature that they could scare voters with. And they've been doing it for so long that, when confronted with the real guy, their minds are blown. They've believed all their own bullshit. It's like telling the same lie every day until you forget that it's not the truth.
Romney was confident, knowledgeable, affable, and comfortable in the leadership role. When at one point, referring to Simpson Bowles, he told Obama "you should have grabbed that", I was put in mind of how a father will give unsolicited advice to an adult son. The fact that Obama is going around telling people he didn't recognize the man today, is really just an admission of how ******* deluded he is. I guess that's what happens when you surround yourself with yes-men and manipulate the circumstances to keep from having to answer tough questions. What's wild though, is that he's oblivious to what he says about himself when he admits his surprise.